“I make sure that I’m heard,” says Bonnie McPeake, the 2nd woman elected 

in its sixty years of existence to serve on the Board of Directors of the Best 

Western franchises, one of the largest hotel chains comprising 4200 

properties in 80 countries worldwide, a position that she’s held since 

October, 2005. 

From her meager beginnings as the daughter of coal miner and a former 

realtor in West Virginia, she and her husband, Sam, risked everything in 

1982 when they sold their house in search for a better life and moved to Durham, North Carolina to purchase and renovate an 18-room motel. 

McPeake now represents the interests of 390 Best Western hoteliers in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Caroline, South Caroline, Tennesee, the Grand Bahamas, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands and is playing a key role in determining the direction of the brand going forward. 

According to Raymond Johnston, Chairman of the Board, ” We’re currently in the process of revising many of our bylaws and rules & regulations and Bonnie is having a major impact on that initiative-she’s very concerned about protecting Best Western’s members’ rights, but also understands the importance of raising brand standards to compete effectively. Since she joined the board in November, she’s jumped right in.” 

“This is the best time in history for Best Western,” says McPeake. We’re united and we know where to go. We’re focused on customer service, that is, we are improving the quality and raising our standards.” 

Best Western was the first chain to offer free high-speed Internet access at every hotel. The website, which was newly launched in January, has tremendously changed the workings of the reservation systems and made it possible to secure reservations and guarantee occupancy offering 360 degree virtual tours online for every property in seven languages. 

The brand facilitates and promotes entrepreneurs such as McPeake, who together with her family, received the first-ever Legacy Award in 2003, for exemplifying the positive family and community spirit of the chain, of which she’s been a member since 1985 

“Without Best Western I could not be where I am today,” 

according to McPeake, which is one of the reasons that she is 

serving on the board. “I want to give something back to the 

brand.” 

McPeake now spends most of her time on the road. “We’re not 

just looking for new properties-the most important things are 

location, condition and management of the property. We want 

to make sure we bring in good operators with quality hotels 

that will enhance the brand. I’m very particular about who and what type of property we’ll acquire,” she says. Since joining

Best Western Zoder’s Inn, Gatlinburg, TN 

the board in November, she’s brought in 7-8 properties (four of which were new builds). Her district is the largest and busiest in the chain. 

As a member of the board, she is responsible for keeping the brand strong and insuring that each property remains focused on their guests. The Board advises and sets the standards by which individual owners operate, meeting monthly at their headquarters in Phoenix. Each property is autonomous and can implement their own initiatives, unless they will affect the entire chain from an operational standpoint, which would then require a vote. 

McPeake is additionally serving on several Member Advisory Committees including the Quality Assurance Committee, the Board Communications Committee and the Supply Committee. 

“Bonnie’s multi-brand experience is a great asset to Best Western…she understands the importance of brand. She and her family have built their business from nothing and done extremely well. She’s a great example of the entrepreneurial spirit of Best Western,” according to Raymond Johnston, Chairman of the Board. 

McPeake certainly brings to the board years of hands on experience, as an owner and operator of four Best Western properties in addition to other major branded and independent hotels across the East Coast. Her son and daughter-in-law are overseeing the management of her own property, the Best Western Pinehurst Inn in Southern Pines, North Carolina, in her absence, which is one of the few properties in the chain that offer golf packages with complimentary deluxe continental breakfasts and a variety of premiere golf courses. 

“One of the challenges in the hotel industry,” she says, “is that you have to prepare for the bad times and the good times, since the industry runs in cycles. Timing is everything. Every hotel we bought was a challenge,” she continues. They would buy a property, renovate, improve and increase the value, put a manager in place and either sell or maintain it. Each time she grew the business with “sweat equity,” relying upon her real estate background to forge her strategy. 

“Women are often better in the business than men,” she says. “They pay more attention to detail and are “nit-pickers.” For that reason, she has mentored her daughter-in-law. Her own attention to detail in focusing on what she referred to as, “curb appeal,” and its importance sets a standard for an aesthetic along with a comfort level for guests upon their arrival. 

As an entrepreneur within the unique Best Western model, McPeake never once thought she was at a disadvantage as a woman. Cindy Brinkley, however, is the only other female board member in its history. She served for two consecutive terms from 1997-2003. 

Chairman Raymond Johnston explains why there haven’t been more women elected to the Board. “The board commitment,” he says, “is significant-we work approximately 200 days a year. That’s a long time for anyone to be away from their business and family.” 

McPeake serves locally in her community on the Boards of the Convention and Visitors Bureau in Pinehurst, North Carolina; the Neighborhood Youth Leadership charter school in Southern Pines, North Carolina, the Accomodations Tax Committee in Ridgeland, North Carolina and the Aberdeen Economic Task Force in Aberdeen, NC.